US Demand for Bandai Toys Weak
According to an article by Asia in Focus, Bandai is experiencing weak demand for its character toys in the US over the last 6 mos.
According to the article, the company is projecting a loss of $18 million (2 billion yen) in its North American toy segment for the six months ended September 30th, a swing of about 3 billion yen from its 1.1 billion yen profit in the same period last year. Sales are also expected to drop about 30% for the year. In the U.S., Bandai produces toys based on Japanese properties Gundam, Power Rangers, Digimon, Astro Boy, and Knights of the Zodiac in the U.S., as well as toys based on American/British properties Teen Titans, Thunderbirds, and Strawberry Shortcake.
Bandai recently announced a new deal with Diamond for the importation of its Japanese toys into the U.S. market, which will bring a wide range of new characters and designs to the States.